1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer system, and deals more particularly with techniques for more enabling users to define one or more areas of a graphical user interface (“GUI”) as being “glue-like”, thereby causing the cursor or graphical pointer to slow down so that the user is able to achieve better control thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Use of computers and various types of application software has become pervasive in the work environment as well as in everyday life. Many people experience difficulty in physically interacting with computers and the devices that provide an interface to application software. An inability to control a pointing device (such as a mouse) with fine motor skills may occur, whether due to degradation of coordination or a lack of coordination. This inability may prevent the person from accomplishing common tasks, or cause great difficulty with performing tasks, such as making selections from a menu or a task bar. Many menus, such as the “Start” program menu available in the Windows® operating system, have relatively narrow regions of selectability for each of the menu's choices. (“Windows” is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.) Similarly, task bars may contain a number of relatively small selectable icons, where these icons are located in close proximity to one another. Persons with limited fine motor skills, including children, the elderly, or those suffering with nerve disorders (such as Parkinson's disease), may be able to position the graphical pointer corresponding to the pointing device into the general area of the display device where they wish to make a selection, but may have difficulty with more specific component selections (such as choosing a particular icon from a task bar or a making a particular choice from a menu).
Accordingly, what is needed are techniques for enabling users to have better control over selections made on the interface to software applications.